“So you mean to tell me I can write a blog and get links to my content?” YES!
For all of you Bloggers and even website owners I want to give you some tips on how to build links just by blogging and building good meaningful content. However I would like to first give credit where credit is due. After attending SEOmoz’s Mozcon 2012 in beautiful Seattle, WA I came to a gigantic realization with my co-workers that there is a better way to blog. Since changing our blogging mannerisms and going to a less “bloggy” type of content building we have had great success with our company blog and personal blogs.
Tip 1: No More Blogginess
When I first got into doing SEO I saw and still sometimes see a lot of the strategies to build content and just pump it out like a blog factory. So, I made the phrase of becoming “bloggy”, the writers just built out the content for this or that and created the content becoming more and more “bloggy” throughout the day. It’s sometimes formulaic if you really look at some blog feeds, and the posts become almost repetitive even if they are on differ subjects.
Since this content isn’t inspired or actionable it is just a bunch of words thickening up a website. Ideally what you want to do is avoid becoming “bloggy”. So when you build your posts write on something new, inspiring, actionable and always add a value to the user taking time to read your content. Put in some good ole noggin juice to the content and blogs you create to help the user take something from them. If you really get some good reception you will likely be used in one of their posts or shared with their friends as it is quality content that deserves some recognition. This will help to build links to your content all by taking pride in your message.
Tip 2: RSS is your friend
Now, I am aware RSS is a bit of old tech, but it is a great way to have your quality non-bloggy content shared with other people and websites. When doing a blog I often create a Feedburner and submit my blog to any relative RSS directories I might stumble across. A great example of an RSS directory is Feedage which you can submit your RSS feed to and it will take your content and give you links to your posts as news items. If you can find a niche RSS submission site or directories they are great because it will increase the engagement with your content. The links that you get from the content is great because it is just like them posting and update that you have news to share. Also, this is a good way to catch new followers to your blog that might really enjoy not just that piece of content but also multiple blogs.
Tip 3: Don’t be link greedy
This is a really tough tip to take, but an important one to increase the quality of your content. Don’t be link greedy, don’t be afraid to give credit to a good blog post relating to a topic you cover, or a great infographic you might find. Many of you might be saying this guy is crazy, but it is very likely that the credit you give to show good content to your users, will come back around to you from the people you give credit to. You might even get a links for being a resource on a particular subject as a one-stop shop for this topic you wrote on. Now in now way am I saying be overly charitable with links to get attention, but just simply give credit where credit is due, and don’t be link greedy. Just remember that the quality of content is normally directly related to how much it will be shared and linked to so provide that extra value and resource.
Tip 4: Social sharing can be fun
This is likely the most obvious of all the tips I have covered, but share you post socially and share it on niche websites that might really enjoy it. Creating content that isn’t “bloggy” and isn’t link greedy can be very beneficial as it will provide a value to people and a community. They will want to share your great content and discuss it and you might even learn something new and need a followup post. The real focus needs to be knowing where to share your content and sharing it properly. There a tons of posts on how to properly share on every media platform, use them. Take the proper formatting tips and the correct open graph and schema codes to make your sharing look professional, not automated.
A HUGE emphasis on not automated, as you can’t properly or socially share a piece of content on every social media platform because they differ so much. So if you ARE automating, try doing it without and formatting all of your posts specially for that platform or community, your likely to be more effective at being shared and like. You know because a robot isn’t the one posting the content.
Proper sharing can greatly increase your engagement and value of your social channels. Not to mention the obvious benefits of creating more awareness of your post and increasing your followership. Both of which can be used to create relationships with the people you are writing for, then maybe you are the once being used as a resource for someone else’s blog post.
Good Content + Good Sharing = Good Blog
Blogging can sometimes be hard to keep up with, especially to create quality content. In the long run there is a real pay off to have quality posts that are well shared and well liked. These are just a few tips I wanted to share to help build links to your blog posts, if you have any other tips, I would be happy to add them and give you credit for them. As SEOs we are always looking for new ways to be more effective marketers.